accepted their roles and became a very vital part of successful teams. There are a ton of these guys so there should be a lot. I've already mentioned Amile as one in another thread so I'm giving my man crush Marshall Plumlee a salute. Already miss Captain Plumlee. OFC
Highly regarded Duke recruits who because of the great talent and depth
- Thread starter skysdad
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Ricky Price comes to mind as someone who came in with a lot of and never really panned out, but accepted his role in the squad.
Also Battier played a different role for 4 years.
Also Battier played a different role for 4 years.
I'd say Lance Thomas fits this bill. Played fantastic D on the 2010 title team.
Battier is a good example. There really isn't a role he did not play during his four years.
Chase Jeter, Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones, and Grayson Allen. 
Nelson was always one of my favorites and always played the role he was asked. Cook did as well in my opinion. Also, I recall Singler playing multiple positions based on need. A few of my favorites there.
Nelson was always one of my favorites and always played the role he was asked. Cook did as well in my opinion. Also, I recall Singler playing multiple positions based on need. A few of my favorites there.
Jon Scheyer moved from Starter as freshman to off Bench as a sophomore, then moved from Shooting Guard where he played the majority of his career to Point. Did whatever was necessary for the team.
Greg Paulus - went from 3 year starter to playing 16 minutes a game as a Senior.
Whoops, Phil beat me by a minute.
His attitude was what made him one of my favorite players. I think he willed that 2010 team to the Championship.
Strangest career ever. He was looked at as THE guy in Duke's class. A mega recruit. Like getting historical comparisons mega. Then he puts a tennis ball in his shoe and derails his whole career among other things.
I remember the tennis ball story somewhat...Wasnt it because of his foot problem he put half a ball in the heel of the shoe or something???
OFC
Ryan Kelly. He did what was ask of him. OFC
Josh Hairston. I can't remember how ranked a recruit he was coming out of high school but while he was at Duke I met his uncle. We would talk about Josh from time to time and although he said Josh like all other players wanted more playing time he never considered transferring because he did not come to Duke for just basketball he came for a Duke degree. Even in his senior season when h took a back burner role he was always enthusiastic and urged his team mates on. I don't ever remember seeing any negative body language from him at all and I would watch simply for the reason his uncle had told me about the way he looked at his role at Duke. Josh will be forgotten fairly soon by most of us but I think he deserves a nod in this thread. Playing basketball at Duke means a great deal more than playing time when one takes advantage of the advantages. OFC
Agreed. I've mentioned this before, but my favorite Scheyer story while he was at Duke happened his senior year before Duke won the title.
At the end of every regular season there's what's known at the senior dinner. It includes the Duke coaches, the seniors and their parents. During the dinner, Jon was asked about his favorite Duke memory. His reply? "It hasn't happened yet."
That still gives me the chills.
I recall reading that sometime during the tournament that year. It is a crazy good story. Chills, indeed.